surgery complete

I have been in Atlanta for a week now and still trying to soak in all that has changed around here. It is amazing how much can change in so little time...

Yesterday my surgery was complete. PRAISE GOD I only needed one screw in my ankle and not three. My pain level is low right now but about mid-afternoon it starts to flare up a little bit. I am told to elevate my foot, which I am doing, but it is difficult for me to sit still. My mind keeps racing with things I want/need to get done. Please pray that God will help me to REST and recover well.

I am hoping to be in touch with most of you while I am home, if not by email maybe a phone call but to at least make a small connection at some point. I wish I could drive around and visit you all but it is my right leg/ankle that broke and therefore I can not drive.

so much to be thankful for....

Yes I know it has been a while since I posted on my blog and website for that matter. I still do not have my computer in my hot little hands but wanted to update you with what is going on as much as I could. With in the next week there should be LOTS of new pictures and updates on my website. HORRAY!!!

First and foremost I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving and found much to be thankful for. I was not sure how the holiday was going to be for me as this was my first Thanksgiving away from home and family. I have been adjusting in my new enviroment and adapting quite well. As Novemeber has come and gone there is so much to share...
-the second week of November we got our first snow in Slovakia. It was beautiful (pictures will be posted soon) and colder than I am used to. It amazes me how those of us from Georgia get very little snow and we rush to the stores and stock up on bread and milk as if we had some kind of blizzard and city shutdown...not us in Slovakia...we had TONS of snow and kept on moving. People still continue to walk where they need to go and go about their everyday life. One morning it was so cold Amy, my roommate, and I looked at each other and said "it's a perfect day to stay inside and watch a movie and drink coffee" ...Slovaks would laugh at us for that but that particular day we carried out the southern tradition and stayed inside. :)
-the second week in November my birthday rolled around...I was planning on staying in and well, not doing a whole lot. I turned the BIG 26. To my surprise all the students in the village had a surprise part for me. It was unbelievable. My first suprise party ever!! (pictuers coming soon) They all made me feel so special and loved. It was honestly a party that came straight from their hearts. I would have to say it was the BEST birthday party ever...one I am THANKFUL for and will never forget.
-then came Thanksgiving...I have been praying for God to really help me through the holidays knowing it was going to be difficult being away from my family. Every Thanksgiving all the Americans within the Josiah Venture organizaion and from all the different countries get together in Malenovice, our training center in Czech Republic, and celebrate Thanksgiving together. It is a great time with lots of games, FOOD, devotions, FOOD, FOOD...okay so we know what Thanksgiving is about. haha Thanksgiving morning we all decided to go outside in the SNOW...yes snow up to our knees might I add, and play a game of AMERICAN football. After making my fair share of snow angels and playing with the kids I decided to join in this game. It was so much fun until............. I fell and broke my ankle. Yes folks, I broke my ankle and spent the entire Thanksgiving day in the hospital. I missed all the FOOD and was told that I needed an operation. I was supposed to have an operation there in Czech but after many phone calls from my family I decided to come home and recover in the states. (more pictures of Thanksgiving will be on the website soon) I am very thankful for the Josiah Venture team/family that I am apart of. Everyone was so wonderful in helping me get through the holidays despite my accident. I was in good hands and without a doubt watched the light of God shine through each person that week. WOW!!! What a blessing!

I am thankful that I decided to come home. At first I was adimit about staying overseas but after coming home and seeing my doctor here in the states he found 4 breaks in my leg from the knee down where the Czech hospital only found 2 in the ankle. My family has been taking great care of me and helping me to a quick recovery. As of right now we are not sure how long I will be here in the states but the doctor said that I can not leave until he releases me...which could be as late as Feb.

God continues to teach me through scripture...and one verse stands out through all of this...
"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail." Proverbs 19:21

I know God has a reason for all of this and it is no surprise to him that any of this happened. I am trusting him in the decision to send me home and in my recovery.

More to come....

Skupinka (small group)

(top row: Zuzka,Tanya,Milka and bottom row: Janka,Natalia,Me)

I have had the amazing opportunity to lead a small group of girls every week. Their ages range from 14-10 years old. These girls are so much fun and have a passion for God.
Each week we get together and share something about our lives and what God is teaching us.
In the next week I am going to do the book "Purpose Driven Life" with them. The book is offered here in Slovak so we are looking forward to it. I think it will be a great study for all of us.

Last night all the girls stayed the night at my flat and I made them Mexican food for dinner and a traditional American breakfast (pancakes, eggs and bacon)in the morning. They really liked it. We had so much fun together just being girls and sharing about our lives...we got NO sleep and went to bed at 6am and then we got up at 7:30...I am getting too old for that! :) Despite the lack of sleep and feeling a little disoriented the next day, it was worth it.

I am so encouraged by their faith and how they try and reach out to their friends. WOW!! I love that when we get together they open their hearts and share about their life....stuggles, praises and challenges. I am truly excited to build these relationships and continue to grow with these girls!

Slovak Paintball

How many of us have experienced the fun action of paintball in our lives??

Some friends from Serbia came into town yesterday and we decided we were going to go play paintball at the last minute. I will admit, I was a little nervous because I did not want to get clobbered by all the guys and I knew that getting hit hurt. I decided to join the guys in this adventure...(picture below is the teams that played against each other...yes, I am the one with the red sleeves and the sassy mask on. HAHA) I know, I know...we all look REALLY tough.



When we first arrived I looked at this old run down building as was beginning to wonder how safe this adventure of paintball was going to be. We ended up playing in this old run down hotel that looked as if it was bombed out at some point. It was defintily not a safe place by any means.. haha (picture below)



We split up into teams and had a great time (4 on 4). When we were choosing teams I was sure to let the guys know that they need not be intimidated because I was a female because I would probably kick all their butts anyways. :)

The funny thing is my team actually won most of the rounds and I only got hit a few times. I have bruises to prove it. It was really neat running around through this old run down hotel, although not the safest paintball zone, it was still really cool. We hid behind walls and in rooms, sniped people from windows and had a couple of floors we could go up and down hide from people.

Trials and Tribulations...getting connected and caught up

First of all I want to appologize for not updating this sooner. My parents came to visit for a few weeks and I planned on updating and posting some pictures of our adventure then my computer crashed (hard drive failed and might have lost most of my data)...right now I am borrowing a friends computer until I get mine back. I am sending it to the states for repair.
I will continue to have my friends computer until probably the end of November. I am doing my best to keep in contact with you all but with out my computer it is difficult because all your information was on there. I do have access to email but it is limited right now so please forgive me if I do not respond in a timly manner. I will be in touch as often as I can until I get my computer back.
Also, the "local" phone number I sent out to all of you is connected to my computer so you can leave me msgs but I just can not answer the calls because the computer I am using does not have a mic...if that makes sense. :)

Thank you all for your support and prayers. I will continue to keep you updated.

My Mama didn't raise no fool...

So Amy and I decided we wanted an all American dinner tonight...a bag of popcorn. Okay, well it seemed American to us.

So I popped a bag, and well it only gave me 10 popped kernels??? Not really sure what I did (my cooking skills are not quite up there with Emeril yet), so Amy said our microwave is not super strong and to keep it in there longer, I was afraid to burn it but did not want to waste the kernels either (that must be the Slovak coming out in me...I even eat the cores of apples now...seriously!) and was wondering how I could re-pop them with out them burning.

I remember when I was little and if we wanted popcorn, Mom would pour some cooking oil in a pot add some kernels and we had popcorn (yes, this was before microwave popcorn and no I am not old)...I think we all know where this is going?!
So...I decided to try it with the left over kernels in the bag just to see what would happen. I put the pot on the stove, poured in the kernels and a little oil....all of the sudden, kernels were popping everywhere...it worked!!!!!! I was so excited!!!

The moral of this story is...if you ever have left over kernels just put them on the stove top with a little oil and you will have popcorn. Why waste a perfectly healthy dinner?

Old fashioned living...

What is 'Old Fashioned' living anyways? Since I have been wondering around the hills of Slovakia and other parts of Eastern Europe I have noticed this is still a culture of doing things the old fashioned way. When I first got here I wondered why everything had to be so difficult...I mean, why not just use a lawn mower, drive to the store for what you need, use a dryer for your clothes, or a dishwasher for that matter.
Cutting grass in Slovakia is a chore for some (pictured above), they use a blade and swing it at the grass to cut it. Could you imagine doing that to an entire field. By the time you finished the other end would have already started growing back. In the other picture is a couple walking into the woods to gather mushrooms to cook with. Amazing...we would grow them in our backyard if we really wanted to pick something. Not them, they walk MILES back into the woods to find there vegetables and herbs (basil, etc).
It has amazed me how devoted they are to their culture. The Slovaks are hard workers and GREAT cooks. I have enjoyed EVERY meal that a family has cooked me.

Why am I so interested in this?? Is it because I am from a society of convenience? To be honest, I really enjoy the non-convenient side of thing, or what seems to be non-convenient for me.

"ready-made" society...

So Amy and I decided to have some students over for a movie and cookies. It is always fun to have kids over to our flat and hang out with them. They love to look at our pictures of family and friends and ask us questions about our lives. They are really curious about us and can not understand why we would want to come to Slovakia from America.

While they were here we watched a movie and ate a lot of snacks and ordered a pizza, then after the movie I decided to take some of the cookie mix that was sent to us from AMERICA (THANK YOU to those of who who sent it) and baked them some American cookies (which means I will need more mix b/c I shared our only stash with the kids...haha) and as I was mixing the dough and rolling them to put on the baking sheet, the girls looked at me funny because they do not have cookies like that...meaning in Europe they do not have "ready-made" meals, they are very much a make it from scratch society. There foods do not have preservatives like ours, which can be good and bad. I told them to trust me, they were delicious! Jany, one of the guys loves peanut butter, I let him try the dough, he was skeptical at first but that is the best part, licking the bowl clean. He loved it! (he is the one holding the bowl) It was a lot of fun!

Faith mean acting on our beliefs

The atmosphere around me today is very peaceful...as I sit here with my hot cup of tea, listening to the rain and feeling the cool breeze as it moves throughout my flat, God continues to speak to me about faith. What is faith? The simplest ideas- thankfulness, kindness, generosity, faith- are the most difficult to live out. To continue to trust God, to give ourselves into His keeping, our first fruits, our children, our homes to Him, the RIGHT THING is still FAITH. So what is faith...it is the right thing. To have faith in the one who doesn't remedy life's unfairness, but who does far better: He redeems it-it's unfairness, it's brokenness, it's disease and death and He gives it back to us sevenfold. 2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight"

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows the One Who is leading. The life of faith is not mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting. (Max Lucado, "The Inspirational Study Bible")

At times when I sit here and look outside at think about the fact that I am going to start a new life, new routine, new language, new friends, etc. etc., ...I wonder what God's bigger purpose in all of this is. I know it is for His glory and not mine.
I was reading in Genesis this morning, and in Genesis 12:1, God told Abraham to leave the land he was living in and go the a land that God would show him.
"The Lord had said to Abraham, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you..." humm? That sounds familiar. Kind of like when I heard God tell me to leave America, my home, my job, my family, my friends, comforts, surroundings, and move to Slovakia. That did not sound like a great idea but I left the comforts of my life with only God's word as my guide...faith means acting on our beiefs. Even during the difficult moments here and the ones I am sure to face , I am learning that my faith in God means trading my sorrows, pains, sicknesses, and laying them down for the joy of the Lord.

God faithfully restores his people after time of difficulty...

REMEMBER ME??? Probably not! Okay, so I neglected to post on here since "JoshandBen" posted for me. Well, I am back, so this along with my website should stay updated from here on out...

This summer has been one of the most fulfilling summers I think I have ever been a part of. God stretched me in so many ways, in ways I did not think I could be stretched. One of the areas where I know I have been lacking and where I need to be is spending more time with God every day...personal QT. This morning God spoke to me and showed me Psalm 86. Interesting how that is the very thing I needed to hear. We must be diligent in reading God's word, God confirmed that he had plans for Israel just as he has plans for me, for us and no matter how difficult the circumstances, he promises to support them. This summer I had one in particular circumstance that was rather difficult. My Papa passed away while I was in Serbia. That was hard on me because I thought that I should be home with the rest of my family. I was not able to get a flight out and get home in time. Through my faith and an amazing support team...God faithfully restored me during and after this time.
I was clinging to God's strength during all of this.
The world seems to think that succes comes from demonstrating personal power and desire by networking throught the RIGHT people...God says, true success comes from knowing, contemplating and memorizing His word. (From "The Inspirational Study Bible", by Max Lucado).

Zilina, Slovakia

IMG_0453
Originally uploaded by leeannschlampp.

This is a tast of the beautiful architecture here in Slovakia. This is the lower square in Zilina, Slovakia. The building here are so colorful and bright. During communism all the buildings were so plain and the people really did not have much say in anything. After communism, people started painting all the buildings such beautiful bright colors...because the COULD! Everything here has so much history - untouched history. They are very proud of there culture and cities...as they should be. I have been learning a lot about the culture and how they lived during communism. It is truly amazing!

As you can see I posted a picture...I just figured out how I did it the first time, so hopefully I will have a lot more pictures on here for you to see.

"...to the ends of the earth."

Sometimes God calls us to things and we wonder why? how come? what for? when? why me?......

This week God has been convicting me in a lot of things...one thing I often ask God is why me? Why Slovakia? What is your purpose for me God???? I found out this week that my grandpa is in the ICU and has suffered from a heart attack...he told the nurse that he was afraid of death. Needless to say, all these questions have been even stronger...being away from home is a hopeless feeling. I spent some time reading the Bible last night and praying for my grandpa, and God lead me to Acts 1:8,

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

God is so good!!! It is so clear that he has sent me hear for a reason and purpose (to the ends of the earth; Slovakia), which does not mean it makes things easier at home but to know that God is in control and planned this move from the beginning and that makes it even more clear how OMNICIENT he is!
"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating (aka...begging or pleading) THROUGH us."
2 Cor. 5:20
WOW! He PLEADS THROUGH us... that is amazing how God chooses us to work through...
I met an 18 year old girl today who has had a rough life. Her name is Tina (she is a Slovak from Presov), 12 years ago her father passed away, and 3 years ago her mom was diagnosed with brain cancer... she has an older sister and one younger sister. 3 years ago, her mom passed away and then her older sister took her younger sister and moved to Germany to make more money. Tina did not go because she is still in high school and had to finish here...so now that leaves her living as an ophan in her mother's flat by herself with the government giving her money (barely enough to live off of). How humbling?! This is a small example of some of the kids here in Slovakia.

I have got to know several kids this week and have had a chance to hang out with them and get to know their feelings on Americans and getting to know a little bit more about them and their culture. What a neat group of people. They are so kind...it is amazing watching these kids work together and the love they have for each other. If one has a candy bar or a drink, I have watched them pass it around to everyone around them to take a bite before they even take their first bite...do you think you would see an American kid do that?? NO WAY!!! I have learned a lot of it is from their background of the communsium that they suffered. They waited in lines, lived off of eggs, bread and milk and if they wanted anything other than that, they had to PERSONALLY know a grocery store owner...WOW!!! I am so thankful that God is working on my heart here and that I am experiencing this lifestyle.

I think my mind is so full right now with all God is showing me and what he is teaching me...please be praying for the kids here and that they will open their hearts and be willing to hang out with us (the Americans). Also for my grandfather and that his pain will no longer be and that he will be up and walking and that God will give him peace with his struggles and fears right now, and for me...that God will continue to teach me and that I will be at peace with my NEW life here and help me to cope with the emotions on what is going on at home.

GOD IS SO GOOD

okay it is 1am and I just found out that my luggage is HERE in Kosice!!! Yeah! They wanted to deliver it at 3am but we said no way. So they are coming at 8am! WONDERFUL!!! Just in time for camp! Like I said, God is a last minute man.

Dobru noc (good night)

Welcome to Slovakia Lee Ann!

YEAH!!!!! I finally made it to Slovakia.

Prešov is beautiful! After 20 hours of flying I arrived...WITHOUT my luggage!!!
"Welcome to Slovakia, Lee Ann"

Oh, well - when I first got to the airport my flights got switched around then they cancelled my first flight out of Atlanta...humm, I should have known from then I was going to have some problems...lol, well I got here and my luggage did not, so right now I am in the same clothes I put on Friday morning and my new roomie, Amy, had lent me some clothes as well. I went to the local TESCO, kind of like our Wal Mart, and bought some neccesities. Hopefully my luggage will get here soon. My first two days here have been quite an experience but also a good transition.

My apartment is great! Very comfortable. Although as many of you know, I am directionally challenged, so it has been fun trying to find my way around. Life here is VERY different. I have been doing a lot of walking and taking the bus....it has been a fun experience so far.
God has totally prepared my heart for this as well as my surroundings...I feel very comfortable here and have an extreme peace about it!
It is really humbling to watch God work in other countries - after getting here Mike and Amy showed me around Presov. What a beautiful city. Then they took me to this grave site (sounds weird, I know) but if you lived here you would understand why...and this old lady approached us and asked for help to her husbands grave. So we helped her b/c she had a cane for each arm and a bouquet of flowers. When we got to his grave we shared stories (in Slovak, of course - and I did not understand any of it) and helped her clean off the grave and make it look nice. WOW! God is so cool! What an interesting lady filled with so much histroy. Then Sunday I went to church this morning in a small village called Kukova and met all the students I will be working with. What a beautiful village. It was funny, one of the kids asked me if I had ever seen a cow or a pig?? I laughed and said of course, they are just not in my back yard (their's are)...I think they had this image of me coming from the BIG city and not knowing anything about the country. It was cute. ** Kind of like Crocidile Dundee in Manhattan but reversed... :)
It is really cool to see God moving in other countries. I know he is EVERYWHERE but to be here and watch these people have a passion for and worship the same God we do is so humbling. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for this place!

Sorry for not blogging in a while but things were hectic...I am hoping to stay on top of this as much as possible and am working on my webpage this week. I just got the program running so I will post it on here when I am done.

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for Zilina, 3 hours trian ride, to go to a JV (Josiah Venture) intern training. I will be there for a week!

Will update soon -

Love you all!

Brave Beginnings

Where is my balance for this new tightrope?
I've stepped away from childhood to walk without a net -
teetering on tiptoe, determined to cross above the ordinary world
to my own.

Where is my balance for this high-wire act?
I'm caught in the middle taking one step at a time -
risking my soul, determined not to fall,
as my audience waits breathless.

Where is my balance for this aerial ballet?
I stretch out my hands -
holding faith tight, trusting God will guide me,
determined to leap onto the platform courage made.


- Celia Straus

"I need another box and some packing tape!"

Lately I have been trying to pack and have been going through what I am leaving and what I am taking, and what I am GETTING RID OF...decisions, decisions. I did not realize I had so much stuff...I found a system that works really well when cleaning out/getting rid of personal belongings...I am "lending" my stuff out to my friends with the requirement that they "forget" to return it! :) So far it has been working really well. As you can see from this picutre, I have a lot to get rid of and sort through. AHHHHHHHHHHH what a mess!!

I think there is a floor under here...?

The Rhythms of God's Grace...

As I sit here and think about where I am going and what I am about to do, tears fill my eyes with joy, sorrow, excitment, fear, nervousness, anxiousness... I used to always say, "I am gonna do this...", or "MY PLANS are to...." - what I am learning is that this is not about MY PLANS but GOD'S. What I thought I was going to do is not what God has me doing. Never did I think that I would be moving to Slovakia to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to kids. WOW, what an adventure! God's love is so EXTRAVAGANT - his arms are spread so wide, his love is so deep, deeper than the oceans, and higher than the highest mountain that I can not even begin to fathom the love he has for us. I have found that when following God's will for our lives, that yes, to others we look crazy sometimes and probably don't understand ourselves what is going on, but His rhythms are so much more soothing than the paths we create on our own. Yet it may seem scary not knowing what he has planned next, but the adventure is well worth it.

Can life really get better than this? I don't think so!

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined"
H.D. Thorean

"Who amongst us through worrying has added a single day to our lives..."

As I get ready to move to Slovakia, the thoughts of; comfortable or non-comfortable, God's will or LeeAnn's will, convenience or not so convenient keep coming to mind. It is hard to explain the emotions that I am feeling...if you were to ask me, "Are you _____?" - you could put any emotion in there and my answer would be YES!!!
My friend/roommate (in Slovakia) , Amy, shared with me my emotions compared to a roller coaster...

You pay your money, you want to get on, you know it's going to be a thrill, people tell you how unforgettable and amazing it will be, and as your turn approaches your stomach drops lower and lower. You have thoughts like, maybe I could duck out of line now or am I really sure I want to do this. But you stay in line. You are going to be on the next train and your heart is now in your throat. You try to make light of it, joke a bit, look around at how unafraid and excited everyone else is and think, I can do this. People do this sort of thing all the time. Don't be ridiculous about it. So you get in the silly little car. You strap in.

And you think, what in the world am I doing. This may be a bad idea, But you certainly can't hop off now and you tell yourself to calm down. The train starts click, click, click, click up an incline you can't see over the edge of. You find yourself higher and higher in the air, at a more ridiculous angle than you anticipated. Sweaty palmed you hang on for dear life, pray for it to end soon, and think about faking a seizure or something just so they'll let you off. Click, click, click, how high are we going to go anyway? Hang on, tell yourself everything is going to be ok and swear to God you'll never ride another one of these %$#@ things again.

That is where I am right now. I am click, click, clicking my way to the top of a very scary, very unfamiliar roller coaster. I have no idea what is going to happen when I plunge over that edge in 5 weeks. There are some major differences though between the roller coaster experience above and the situation in which I now find myself. The main difference being that I can be completely confident in the designer, creator, owner, and operator of my particular ride. Instead of a terrifying carnie who hasn't seen a toothbrush in weeks, the operator of all these switches and levers is totally trustworthy, loves me beyond measure and has promised me that he has my best interests at heart.

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

I may have no idea where this ride will go, but my God, who designed it, built it, runs it, and strapped me securely into my seat knows perfectly. Because He is good and trustworthy I have nothing to fear and because my desire is that the purpose of my life will be to make His name Famous I will stay on this crazy train ride.

Vedauwoo , Wyoming